SIMAGES 2014.2 - 2014 Conference Highlights

Highlights of the 2014 ConferenceBy Anastasia SalterWith summer upon us, the NASAGA conference crew is gearing up and getting ready to welcome you to Baltimore October 8 through 11, 2014. We’re thrilled to have received session proposals from a range of designers, trainers, and educators, including both people new to NASAGA and familiar voices from our community. Expect a conference filled with new games, improvisation, participant-driven unconference dialogues, and reports from games with an international scope.Here are our two featured keynote speakers to give you a taste of what's ahead for you at NASAGA 2014

“Building Character in Immersive Learning”

Koreen Pagano, author of Immersive Learning

Immersive learning focuses on providing context for practice to demonstrate learning and facilitate behavior change. Yet, how many tasks are actually performed in isolation? Real life is messy, so providing realistic practice in immersive learning means introducing that messiness. Let’s be honest, a lot of the messiness is because of people. Character development is often an overlooked design skill, but an important element of games, simulations, and virtual learning environments, and this element can elicit emotions and spark recall of lessons learned well after you’ve left the learning environment. Join Koreen Pagano, author of Immersive Learning, to explore how characters can make your games more relevant, complex and memorable, all while improving learning outcomes.

“Telling the NASAGA Story”

John Chen, CEO of Geoteaming

Learning is about storytelling.  As we learn, we create our own stories which help us make sense of the knowledge we acquire and the world around us. We share these stories to help others come to similar understanding, and to reconnect with others who shared in the creation of our stories. Working in teams throughout the conference, attendees will record moments and explore NASAGA in ways they may not have thought of before:  through quests and challenges. John will explore the stories that the teams have created, and discuss how the technology mediated the creation of very personal experiences and narratives.